Homeless Mentally Ill Have High Risk of Heart Disease

HealthDay News — Homeless people with mental illness are at high risk for heart disease, a new study suggests.

Canadian researchers found that they have a 24.5% risk of heart attack, fatal or nonfatal stroke, or sudden cardiac death over 30 years.

The risk is about 10% for a person of the same age and gender who does not smoke, does not have diabetes or high blood pressure, and is not overweight, the researchers noted.

The risk of cardiovascular disease in homeless people with mental illness was highest among men and those with substance abuse disorders, according to the study published in the journal BMC Public Health.

"If you are homeless and having a mental illness and are a male or have a substance use disorder, your risk of 30-year cardiovascular disease appears to be much higher even if you may not show the typical other predictors such as high [body-mass index or high blood pressure], etc.,” said Agnes Gozdzik, PhD, a research associate at the Center for Research in Inner City Health at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, said in a news release.

Smoking may be one reason why homeless people with mental illness have such a high risk of heart disease, the researchers suggested. Research shows that both homeless and mentally ill people have high rates of smoking.

Lumateperone and follow-on compounds are also being evaluated for bipolar depression, behavioral disturbance associated with dementia, sleep disturbances associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, and other neuropsychiatric conditions including major depressive disorder ...